About Board 33

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Through your membership in the North Jersey Board of Approved Basketball Officials, Inc., you are a member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, Inc. (IAABO) – the only organization of its kind in the world: a nonprofit service and professional organization managed by and for basketball referees. Founded in 1923, IAABO’s stated purposes are:

• To educate, train, develop, and provide continuous instruction for basketball officials.
• To promote the welfare of the game of basketball, its players and officials.
• To maintain the highest standard of basketball officiating.
• To encourage the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship.
• To have available at all times an adequate number of thoroughly trained and capable officials.
• To cooperate with all organizations officially connected with the game of basketball in furthering its interests and ideals.

A Message From The North Jersey Board Of Approved Basketball Officials, Inc. - IAABO Board 33

One week ago, an NJSIAA tournament game between Manasquan High School and Camden High School ended in a way that drew national media attention and resulted in a lawsuit brought by the Manasquan Board of Education. Manasquan asked a Superior Court Judge to order the NJSIAA to declare Manasquan the winner of the game because of what they viewed as an erroneous judgment call by the officials. The school’s claim was rejected three times in a span of two days: The Chancery Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey dismissed the lawsuit. A subsequent “appeal” to the Commissioner of Education was denied, as was a further appeal to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court.

These three rulings, confirming the NJSIAA’s position that the officials’ decisions exclusively determine the final score, did little to quell the media uproar.

In the final ruling, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court wrote:

While the consequences of a particular call may be unfortunate for a team, the NJSIAA’s regulations recognize the reality that game officials’ calls are frequently disputed, and that permitting such calls to be challenged on the basis of error would result in ongoing litigation, appeals, and scheduling issues, since no game could be considered final if its outcome is disputed in court as a result of an alleged error by officials.

Media reports on the controversy were rife with misleading headlines and inaccuracies regarding the final moments of the game and the aftermath, as self-appointed “experts” castigated the officials, often with crude remarks and innuendo — while remaining clueless as to the rules and regulations that govern the high school game.

We leave the last word to Manasquan head coach Andrew Bilodeau, as reported in nj.com last Friday evening:

The men and women who endeavor to officiate interscholastic athletics are people of integrity, character and love of the game. They do their absolute best, as do the coaches and players….
Source: NJ.com - Updated: Mar. 09, 2024, 8:32 a.m. |Published: Mar. 08, 2024, 8:15 p.m.

Board 33 stands behind our officials who, night after night, do “their absolute best” to get the calls right.

Congratulations to the Latest Board 33 Class of 2023 Entrants

This is the photo of the last applicant class from October. Over the course of the year, Board 33 trained and onboarded 115 new officials; the largest group of new officials in many years. We would not have been able to accomplish this without the assistance of many of our members who give back by acting as trainers/clinicians.

Many thanks to members Casey Thomas, Dick Hecker, Jeff Datillo, Bill Smith, Steve Rubinnacio, Brian Gogerty, John Stanford, Shaun Stephens, Nick Peloso and Gary Sluck.

Best of luck to all of our newest members from our IAABO University coordinator Dennis Allocco!

If you are interested in becoming a referee and joining this elite group of cadets, click here for more information and begin the application process!

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